Football author Alex Keble analyses the place this weekend’s fixtures may very well be gained and misplaced, together with:
– Will Tudor’s aggressive method pounce on Arsenal nerves?
– Will Pereira’s debut blunt Liverpool’s latest progress?
– Will Newcastle’s historic difficulties on the Etihad permit Man City to glide on?
– Can Strand Larsen assist rescue Palace’s poor type at Selhurst Park?
– Will West Ham react to supervisor adjustments with their most vital win of the season?
– Can Villa discover the width wanted to create probabilities in opposition to Leeds?
– Will Brentford’s construction power one other blunt Brighton efficiency?
– Can Rosenior maintain Chelsea’s focus ranges up?
– What has Carrick learnt from the Fulham and West Ham video games?
– Can Sunderland or Fulham get again on observe?
Will Tudor’s aggressive method pounce on Arsenal nerves?
Tottenham Hotspur have turned to Igor Tudor, the “ferryman” famend for taking golf equipment in uneven water safely to shore.
Tudor at all times hits the bottom operating, successful at the very least six of his opening 10 video games in every of his final three jobs, doing so by means of a mix of aggressive hard-pressing soccer and a tough line method to participant administration. In different phrases: by means of sheer self-discipline on the pitch and off it.
The north London derby is arguably the absolute best fixture to start out, provided that the environment on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should invigorate the gamers for his or her new problem.
It is horrible timing for Arsenal. Their 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, sending out one other ripple of hysteria, means Manchester City now technically have as a lot management of the title race as Mikel Arteta’s facet; victory in all 12 matches, together with the sport in opposition to Arsenal, would win the crown.
If Arsenal are certainly nervous then the very last thing they want is going through a re-energised Spurs facet operating arduous for his or her new head coach.
Tudor tends to play in a 3-4-2-1 formation constructed on defensive solidity, quick transitions, and a livid man-to-man urgent system. It is that this final tactical factor that would pounce on any rigidity within the Arsenal efficiency.
“There is no time to find excuses,” Tudor told the Spurs official website. “The team need, I believe, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage.”
Confidence and braveness is what’s required from either side on Sunday. It ought to be an excellent sport.
Will Pereira’s debut blunt Liverpool’s latest progress?
When Vitor Pereira first arrived at Wolves in December 2024 he promptly gained seven factors from his first three matches, together with a 2-0 victory at home to Manchester United, by switching to a 3-4-3 formation and placing spherical pegs in spherical holes.
He achieved a direct raise by organising a mid-block, urgent solely within the center and defensive thirds, and instructing Wolves’ under-performing gamers to hit opponents on the counter-attack.
It ought to excite Forest supporters that Pereira’s method sounds similar to Nuno Espirito Santo’s, as a result of in concept he inherits a squad that also has the muscle reminiscence of the Nuno period and is due to this fact able to progress again in direction of the degrees we noticed in 2024/25.
And Pereira will relish a house sport in opposition to Liverpool, who will probably be allowed to dominate possession and have proven vulnerability to fast counter-attacks all season.
The likes of Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi operating in behind Ibrahima Konate and the Liverpool excessive line may pose an enormous risk on Sunday, as may a flat again 5 that gives a left wing-back and left-sided centre-back to double up on Mohamed Salah.
Back in November, within the early days of Sean Dyche, Forest beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield with simply 25.5 per cent of possession. An analogous model of efficiency, and consequence, is on the playing cards.
Will Newcastle’s historic difficulties on the Etihad permit Man City to glide on?
There’s been a whole lot of water underneath the bridge since Newcastle United beat Man City 2-1 at St James Park again in November.
Man City gained each legs of their EFL Cup semi-final, for starters, whereas Pep Guardiola’s facet look like clicking into gear for a title run-in after gliding past Fulham 3-0 of their final Premier League match.
Since a 5-4 win at Fulham in December, City have solely conceded eight objectives in 12 Premier League matches, the fewest of any facet.
Fulham v Man City: Highlights of this season’s NINE-goal thriller
The hosts will count on victory right here, and never simply due to their latest type.
City are unbeaten of their final 21 Premier League residence video games in opposition to Newcastle, successful every of the final 16. Indeed Newcastle’s 20-game winless run on the Etihad Stadium is essentially the most a crew has performed at a venue with out ever successful in Premier League historical past (D2 L18).
What’s extra, Eddie Howe’s crew are winless in 10 away matches in opposition to top-half groups (D3 L7). It’s truthful to say Newcastle want a brand new method for video games like these.
It all factors to a different good day for Man City, and one other step nearer to Arsenal.
Can Strand Larsen assist rescue Palace’s poor type at Selhurst Park?
Oliver Glasner and his gamers should merely erase the reminiscence of what occurred at Selhurst Park of their final Premier League match.
At 2-0 up and cruising in opposition to Burnley, courtesy of two well-taken objectives from new signing Jorgen Strand Larsen, Crystal Palace supporters should have felt that back-to-back wins have been coming – and that their season was again on observe.
What adopted – a shock 3-2 defeat – was a crushing blow, extending their winless run at Selhurst Park to eight matches and piling stress onto their residence sport this weekend in opposition to the division’s backside membership.
If Palace can overlook the three Burnley objectives they will nonetheless construct momentum. If they will give attention to the positives – Strand Larsen hitting the bottom operating – they will beat his former membership Wolves and start to look once more on the European locations.
That’s as a result of victory would carry again a feel-good issue to Selhurst Park, the place Palace have gained simply 37.5 per cent of their Premier League factors this season, the second-lowest share within the Premier League.
Wolves, winless of their final 15 Premier League away video games and the one facet in England’s top-four tiers nonetheless with out an away win in 2025/26, are clearly there for the taking.
Strand Larsen scored 15 objectives in 57 Premier League video games for Wolves, together with one in 22 this season. His brace final day trip means he has already netted extra occasions for Palace this season than his former membership.
Strand Larsen shot map 2025/26
That is one thing to cling onto; one thing to offer hope to Glasner and his squad.
Will West Ham react to supervisor adjustments with their most vital win of the season?
Nuno has masterminded a run of 10 factors gained from the final 5 Premier League video games and but West Ham United supporters are left pissed off by two outcomes that would show decisive come May: a 3-2 defeat to Chelsea after going 2-0 up and a 1-1 draw with Manchester United wherein Benjamin Sesko equalised with just about the final kick of the sport.
Sesko’s aim was a intestine punch that has been compounded by supervisor adjustments on the two golf equipment sat instantly above them. The arrival of Tudor and Pereira at Spurs and Forest respectively seems to have made West Ham’s problem that rather more tough.
It definitely makes Saturday’s sport in opposition to AFC Bournemouth a must-win.
Three of West Ham’s subsequent 5 matches after Bournemouth are in opposition to sides at the moment within the prime six, and so, with the hole to Forest already three factors, the Hammers can not afford for it to develop any wider earlier than they enter a harder run of fixtures.
Andoni Iraola’s facet are unbeaten in six within the Premier League, successful 4. West Ham will must be at their highest if they’re to maintain up with the relegation-threatened sides anticipating a new-manager bounce.
Can Villa discover the width wanted to create probabilities in opposition to Leeds?
Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory at Leeds United within the reverse fixture ought to be the mannequin Unai Emery makes use of for Saturday’s sport, as a result of after struggling within the first 45 minutes Emery’s tactical adjustments unlocked the competition of their favour.
Villa performed narrowly with two No 10s and received caught attempting to cross the ball slowly out from the again, discovering themselves blocked off and squeezed out by the tall and highly effective Leeds midfielders.
So Emery determined to carry on Donyell Malen, play two strikers up prime, and go lengthy. It labored fantastically: The significantly extra direct game-plan pressured Leeds backwards and the strikers (Malen and Ollie Watkins) went two-on-two with the defenders, pulling the hosts out of practice.
Both objectives have been the oblique results of lengthy clipped passes excessive of that highly effective Leeds midfield, which was bypassed moderately than labored by means of.
However, Leeds have since switched to a 3-4-3 formation, which means Villa can’t isolate the centre-backs with two up entrance. But the extra direct path to aim remains to be the best way to go, not least as a result of seven of the final 12 Premier League objectives Leeds have conceded have been crosses into the field (58 per cent).
Emery must discover a strategy to keep away from the central areas and get Morgan Rogers into wider positions. Rogers, who scored each objectives within the reverse fixture, leads all Villa gamers for: probabilities created (33), huge probabilities created (10), assists (5), take-ons (101), touches within the opposition field (131) and has the joint-most objectives (8).
Will Brentford’s construction power one other blunt Brighton efficiency?
Brighton & Hove Albion are winless in six, however their poor type goes again additional than that. No membership has gained fewer Premier League video games since December than Brighton’s one from 12 – and their solely win in that point was in opposition to Burnley.
The problem is creating probabilities and scoring objectives. They are averaging 13 pictures, 4 pictures on track, and 27 touches within the opposition field per sport this season, their lowest averages since 2021/22.
Injuries have performed an element, however the primary problem is that Brighton wrestle in opposition to groups who sit deeper in opposition to them. They have gained 17 factors from 18 Premier League matches this season wherein they held 50 per cent or extra possession and 14 factors from eight video games wherein they held lower than 50 per cent.
Brighton’s factors per sport with extra/lower than 50 per cent possession
| Possession | Points per sport |
|---|---|
| More than 50% | 0.94 |
| Less than 50% | 1.75 |
Brentford, who’ve picked up 20 factors from their final 10 video games, are precisely the type cussed opponents Brighton don’t get pleasure from enjoying.
Can Rosenior maintain Chelsea’s focus ranges up?
Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Leeds of their final Premier League outing was the primary hiccup for Liam Rosenior, who noticed his facet lose a two-goal lead due to “six minutes of switching off,” as he put it after the sport.
“We have to make sure we are switched on for 90 minutes. As simple as that. We should come away with three points. We haven’t because of two moments.”
Chelsea have dropped extra factors from successful positions in Premier League residence video games than some other facet this season, with 15.
Meanwhile Burnley got here again from 2-0 all the way down to beat Palace 3-2 final day trip. If Chelsea do swap off, they are going to be punished.
What has Carrick learnt from the Fulham and West Ham video games?
It took a late aim to beat Fulham earlier within the month and one other one to rescue a degree in opposition to West Ham a fortnight in the past, proof that Michael Carrick will discover it harder beating the extra defensive opponents than those that permit them to play on the counter-attack.
A visit to Everton is an enormous check, then, of what Carrick has gleaned from these two matches and the way he intends to make video games in opposition to mid-table golf equipment extra snug shifting ahead.
This one gained’t be. Everton won 1-0 at Old Trafford in November and can repeat their resilient game-plan this weekend.
Can Sunderland or Fulham get again on observe?
Fulham have misplaced their final three Premier League video games, conceding at the very least twice in each, and within the course of their hopes of European qualification have began to fade.
Sunderland, too, have fallen down the desk, dropping 4 of their final six within the competitors, as many as of their first 20. Recent defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool was the primary time that they had misplaced consecutive video games this season and the primary time that they had misplaced at residence.
With 12 video games left we’re getting into the section of the marketing campaign the place that compressed mid-table will certainly break. It seems to be like solely one in all these two, at most, will handle a top-half end.
Victory on Saturday may show to be an enormous six-pointer.
